BY-LAWS OF THE CLARENDON HILLS

COMMUNITY CAUCUS (last revision July 2016) 

OBJECTIVES 

The goals and objectives of the Clarendon Hills Community Caucus are to ensure honest and efficient management of Clarendon Hills village affairs by providing a means for non-partisan selection of village office candidates whose honesty and integrity are known and whose ability to manage village affairs has been demonstrated by success in other activities. 

PRINCIPLES 

The Clarendon Hills Community Caucus stands for the following principles: 

1. The Caucus endorses the concept of having the office seek the person. For this reason, the Caucus shall recommend only one candidate for each office.
    
2. Politicalpartyaffiliationsalongnationalorstatepartylines,orotherwise,havenoplace in village affairs because they tend to obscure and confuse local issues and divide and weaken the forces of good local government.
    
3. Thecaucuswillworktoprioritizetheresidentialcharacterofthevillage,whileseeking balance with commercial and industrial interests that provide benefit to the village.
    

Wherefore, these objectives, principles and by-laws have been adopted. 

PURPOSES 

The Community Caucus shall: 

1. Nominate candidates for the following public offices:
    
   1. Village Board President
       
   2. Village Board Trustees
       
   3. Village Clerk
       
   4. Park District Commissioners
       
   5. Public Library Trustees
       
   6. Such other public offices as may be created by law for the village; and
       
2. SelectClarendonHillsNominatingCommitteemembersforthejointClarendonHills Hinsdale School District 181 Nominating Committee; and join with the Hinsdale Village Caucus in nominating candidates for the District 181 School Board.
   

TERMS OF OFFICE 

The Caucus may nominate candidates for limited consecutive service in the various elective village offices as follows: 

President of the Village
Trustees of the Village Commissioners of the Park District Trustees of the Public Library Village Clerk
District 181 School Board 

DEFINITIONS 

2 complete terms (4 years each)
2 complete terms (4 years each)
2 complete terms (4 years each)
2 complete terms (4 years each) Unlimited number of 4-year terms 2 complete terms (4 years each) 

1. The word “Village” means the Village of Clarendon Hills, Illinois, a municipal corporation.
    
2. Thewords“ClarendonHillsCommunityCaucus,”“Caucus”and“CommunityCaucus” mean the organization of eligible voters of the Village that is governed by these by-laws.
    
3. Theword“Chair”meanstheCaucusChairmanorChairwoman,unlessotherwisespecified.
    
4. The word “member” means any person residing in the Village of Clarendon Hills who is,
   or will be, eligible to vote for village officers at the next village election.
   ARTICLE I - CAUCUS BUSINESS
    

1.1 PRIVILEGES OF MEMBERS 

Caucus members have the following privileges:
A. Initiate any action appropriate to the function of the Caucus; B. Serveonanynominatingorothercommittee.
C. Proposemotionsorresolutions;and
D. Vote on any issue before any Caucus meeting. 

1.2 CAUCUS MEETINGS 

1. There shall be one Town Meeting each year and at least two regular Caucus meetings during each biennial election cycle. The two regular Caucus meetings are referred herein as the kick-off meeting and the nomination meeting. The caucus officers will schedule these meetings at a time appropriate and relative to the nearest election, with kick-off, nomination, and town meetings to be held by the end of October.
    
2. TheChairmaycallaspecialmeetingorsuchmeetingmaybecalledbyapetitionduly signed by ten (10) members of the caucus; such meeting to be held at a date and time approved by the Chair.
    
3. Attendancebyten(10)CaucusmembersshallconstituteaquorumforanyregularCaucus meeting.
   ARTICLE II – THE OFFICERS
    

2.1 OFFICERS 

The officers of the Community Caucus shall consist of a Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer. 

2.2 ELECTION 

The Caucus officers shall be elected at the Town Meeting and shall office for a two-year term. The term shall commence on the first day following the primary election. The Chair and the Vice-Chair shall not hold the same office for more than one consecutive two-year term. The Chair, upon expiration of his or her term, may not become Vice-Chair; although the Vice-Chair may move up to Chair. Both the Secretary and Treasurer may be reelected for an indefinite number of terms. 

2.3 DUTIES OF THE CHAIR 

The Chair shall preside at the kick-off meeting, the nominating meeting and the annual Caucus Town Meeting and all recessed meetings thereafter. The Chair shall have the power to call special meetings at any time deemed necessary. The Chair shall not vote at Caucus meetings except in the case of a tie. 

2.4 DUTIES OF THE VICE-CHAIR 

The Vice-Chair shall assist the Chair in the performance of his duties and shall act as Chair in the event of the Chair’s absence. The Vice-Chair shall retain the official attendance of all Caucus meetings and retain the reports of all committees. 

2.5 DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY 

The Secretary shall record the proceedings of all regular Caucus meetings and conduct, under the supervision of the Chair, all correspondence and other communications. 

2.6 DUTIES OF THE TREASURER 

The Treasurer shall collect and receive all funds paid or contributed to the Caucus and disburse funds upon appropriate order. The Treasurer shall report at the first regular Caucus meeting each year, in writing, all receipts and disbursements. 

2.7 VACANCIES IN OFFICES 

In the event of a vacancy in the office of Chair by reason of death, resignation, refusal of permanent inability to act for any reason, including change of residence to outside the village, the Vice-Chair shall assume the duties of the office and shall act as Chair for the remainder of the unexpired term. In the event of a vacancy in the office of Vice-Chair, Secretary or Treasurer, the Caucus shall hold a special meeting to elect a replacement for the unexpired term. 

ARTICLE III – NOMINATION OF CANDIDATES 3.1 ELECTION OF NOMINATING COMMITTEES 

At the kick-off meeting, the members in attendance shall establish the following nominating committees: 

1. Village Trustees nominating committee for the purpose of selecting nominees for the offices of Village Board President, Village Trustees and Village Clerk;
    
2. ParkDistrictnominatingcommitteeforthepurposeofselectingnomineesfortheofficeof Park District Commissioner
    
3. LibraryBoardnominatingcommitteeforthepurposeofselectingnomineestotheofficeof Public Library Trustee.
    
4. Caucus Officer nominating committee for the purpose of selecting nominees for Caucus office positions.
    
5. School District 181 Nominating committee for the purpose of selecting nominees for a position as caucus representative on the joint Clarendon Hills-Hinsdale School District 181 nominating committee. All members of this nominating committee and nominees must reside within School District 181; and
    
6. Such other nominating committees as may be needed to fill public offices created by law for the village. 

Each committee shall consist of at least three, and not more than twelve members. The Chair may combine any two or more of the nominating committees referenced above, excluding the Village Trustee nominating committee; however, the number of committee members on any one committee shall not exceed twelve. 

A nominating committee shall not nominate, nor shall the Caucus nominate or recommend, any Caucus officers or nominating committee members for Village or District 181 office. 

No one shall be elected or appointed to any nominating committee if they or their spouse, or a member of their immediate family, is an elected or appointed official or full-time paid employee of the Village, the Park District, Public Library, School District 181 or any other office as may be created by law for the Village. 

Each registered voter present, or who submits their intent to participate in advance of the meeting, shall be eligible to participate in a nominating committee. 

Selection shall take place by means of a random drawing from among eligible names by the Caucus Chair. The names of all eligible residents shall be randomly drawn in serial fashion. The first names drawn, up to the maximum noted above, shall be those duly selected to the nominating committee. 

3.1.1 Limitations/Conflicts 

1. Members shall not be eligible to serve on the same Nominating Committee in successive biannual terms.
    
2. Notwoormoremembersofthesameimmediatefamilyshallserveonthesame Nominating Committee.
    
3. Animmediatefamilymemberofanincumbentofficeholdermaynotserveonthe Nominating Committee that is charged with nominating candidates to be endorsed by the Caucus for such office.
    
4. A Delegate shall resign from a Nominating Committee if an immediate family member of that Delegate is a candidate for a position for which the Nominating Committee will make a nomination.
    
5. Any person who is an employee of School District 181 or of the Village of Clarendon Hills or of the Clarendon Hills Public Library may serve on a nominating committee, but shall not be eligible to serve on a Nominating Committee that is charged with nominating candidates to be endorsed by the Caucus for the Board of the public entity employing such Member.
    
6. The Chair of the Community Caucus shall be ineligible for any office over which the Caucus has nominating authority.
    
7. Officers of the Community Caucus shall be ineligible to serve on any Nominating Committee of the Village Caucus except as temporary committee chair as part of committee organization activities.
    

3.1.2 Selection of Nominating Committee Members 

Nominating committees shall be seated at the second regular meeting of the caucus. The selection procedure shall be directed by the Caucus Chair in the following manner: 

1. The names of Members interested in serving on a nominating committee shall be placed in a single container, from which they can be drawn at random.
    
2. Members shall be selected for the respective Nominating Committees in the following order: (a) Caucus Officers; (b) Clarendon Hills Library Board; (c) Village Board; and (d) Clarendon Hills Park District.
    
3. To select members for each Nominating Committee, the Caucus Chair will draw one name from the container. If the name picked is not subject to any of the limitations or conflicts stated in Section 4.1.1 above, that Member shall be seated on the applicable Nominating Committee. If the name picked is subject to a Section 4.1.1 limitation or conflict, the name shall be returned to the container and another name picked, until the name of a Member eligible to serve on a committee is selected. The Caucus Chair shall continue to draw names, until the several Nominating Committees are filled, as specified above.
    

At the conclusion of this selection process, there may be certain Members who have not been assigned to a Nominating Committee. Such “Unassigned Members” will be held as alternate Nominating Committee Members, for the possibility that certain Members assigned to the Nominating Committees may subsequently resign or be unable to continue serving. If this occurs, Unassigned Members shall serve as a pool of alternate Nominating Committee members to be selected to fill such vacancies. Following the selection of Nominating Committee members, the names of all Unassigned Members shall be consolidated into the container, and all such names drawn from the container in random order. The first name selected shall be recorded as the “First Unassigned Member to serve as a Nominating Committee alternate;” the second name as the “Second Unassigned Delegate to serve as a Nominating Committee alternate;” and so on. The Caucus Officers shall use the list of Unassigned Nominating Committee Members to fill vacancies on Nominating Committees. 

The members of each nominating committee shall select one of their members to be chair of that nominating committee. This selection shall occur within 7 days of the committee’s being seated. If no selection is presented, the Caucus chair shall appoint a committee chair. 

3.2 PRESENTATION OF NOMINEES 

At the nomination meeting, the chair of each nominating committee shall present the names of the nominees for the various offices. The names so reported shall be those selected by the majority of members on each respective nominating committee. 

3.2.1 Floor Nominations 

In addition to the nominations reported by the Nominating Committees, any Member may nominate an individual for any public office or Village Caucus office from the floor of the Village Caucus meeting so long as the following conditions are satisfied: 

1. The person so nominated must have previously indicated his or her interest to the Nominating Committee and submitted his or her resume and completed application to, and been interviewed by, the respective Nominating Committee;

1. The name, resume and completed application for such nominee must have been made available by the potential nominee to Caucus Officers not later than ten days before the Third Regular Meeting;
    
2. The nominee is nominated and seconded by current eligible Members at the Third Regular Meeting who are eligible to vote for such nominee in the upcoming election; and
    
3. The nominee satisfies any other requirement applicable to the offices corresponding to each Nominating Committee.
    

The Delegate making a floor nomination will be given three minutes to speak about his or her nominee at the Caucus meeting at which Members vote to endorse candidates. Voting will then proceed as set forth in section 4.3. 

3.3 VOTING AT THE TOWN MEETING 

Each member is entitled to cast one ballot for each elective office each time a vote is taken. 

ARTICLE IV – ANNUAL TOWN MEETING 4.1 ANNUAL TOWN MEETING 

1. The annual Community Caucus Town Meeting shall be on an acceptable date which is in accordance with the state election laws.
    
2. AttheconclusionoftheTownMeetingheldduringanelectioncycle,thecertificatesof Caucus candidate selection and nomination shall be filed in accordance with the state election laws.
    

4.2 NOTICE OF ANNUAL TOWN MEETING 

Notice of the annual Caucus Town Meeting shall be submitted to local newspapers for publication as well as posted on social media and our website. Written notice of the meeting shall be e-mailed to all members of the Caucus who attended the preceding annual meeting (and provided their email address) and other persons designated by the Caucus officers. The notice shall state the meeting time and place and shall list the candidates selected to serve as nominees for the open Village and School District 181 offices. 

4.3 TOWN MEETING ORDER OF BUSINESS 

A. Collection at the door of signatures for the attendance roster; B. CalltoorderbytheChair;
C. PledgeofAllegiance 

1. Introduction of Caucus officers;
    
2. Reading by the Chair of the Caucus objectives and principles;
    
3. Statement by the Chair of offices for which nominations are to be made;
    
4. Reports by the chairpersons from each nominating committee recommending nominees for all village offices;
    
5. Nomination and balloting of candidates for each village office;
    
6. Report by the chair of the committee in charge of nominating Caucus officers and the School District 181 nominating committee members;
    
7. Nomination and election of the Caucus Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer;
    
8. Reports from the Village President and from the Library Board, Park District and School District 181 representatives; and
    
9. Signing of certificates of nomination (petitions) for Caucus nominees.
   ARTICLE V – MISCELLANEOUS
    

5.1 ROBERT’S RULES OF ORDER 

Except as otherwise provided in these by-laws, Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised, shall govern all regular Caucus meetings. 

5.2 AMENDMENTS TO BY-LAWS 

1. These by-laws may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of members present, subject to the quorum requirement.
    
2. Aproposedby-lawamendmentmustbepresentedataCaucusmeetingatleastthirtydays before any vote for final adoption.
    

5.3 CAUCUS REPRESENTATION AT THE JOINT CLARENDON HILLSHINSDALE CAUCUS MEETING 

The Caucus voting delegation to the joint School District 181 Clarendon Hills-Hinsdale Caucus meeting shall be proportionally equal in number to the Hinsdale Village Caucus voting delegation so as to ensure equal proportional representation at the caucus meeting. The number participating shall be determined as follows: 

Upon certification to the Caucus by the Hinsdale Village Caucus of the number of delegates seated by that Caucus, the Chair shall determine the ratio of the certified number of Hinsdale village delegates to the total Hinsdale population of School District 181. This
ratio shall then be multiplied by the total number of Clarendon Hills residents residing within School District 181. This number, rounded off to the nearest whole number, shall represent the maximum number of Clarendon Hills Caucus voting representatives seated at the joint meeting. This maximum number shall be certified by the Chair to the Hinsdale Community Caucus at least thirty days prior to the joint meeting. 

Prior to the joint meeting, the Chair may designate the individuals to serve as the voting Caucus representatives and the individuals who may serve as alternates. All such representatives shall reside within District 181 and the Village and shall be eligible for membership in the Caucus. 

5.4 ORDER OF BUSINESS AT JOINT CLARENDON HILLS-HINSDALE CAUCUS MEETING 

The order of business and quorum requirements of the joint Clarendon Hills-Hinsdale Caucus meeting shall be determined by the Village of Clarendon Hills Caucus officers and the Village of Hinsdale Caucus executive committee.